Category: Odds ‘n Sods

The excellent five-minute ultralight flight “Patriots” locales video that I mentioned debuted last week has already had more than 3,600 views. It is available free, via YouTube. As I mentioned before, this gent’s well-edited footage really captures the look and feel of some of the key locales in my novel. And in it you can see how pretty the Palouse Hills region is at harvest time. It is a High Definition (HD) video, so be sure to watch it at “full screen” size. Dan Fong lives!    o o o A reader in Gallup, New Mexico wrote to ask what …

K.A.F. flagged this: Antique Apples Getting a New Life.    o o o For those living in or near Denver, there is a Self Reliance Expo scheduled for September 16th and 17th. They will have a lot of great exhibitors. SurvivalBlog will have a staffer there walking the show floor, to do a write-up. One of the exhibitors at the expo will be a new company called Pantry Paratus. Their web store will soon be launched. They have a great line of preparedness products, with an emphasis on do-it-yourself food processing and storage. Their broad line of products includes a …

For those who look for scriptural foreshadowing of modern events, Matt B. sent a link to a PDF over at Steve Quayle’s site: The Watchmen, 911 and the Harbingers    o o o Authorities Confirm Gun Found in Arizona Is Third at U.S. Crime Scene Tied to ATF’s ‘Fast and Furious‘. And in related news: Gunwalker Explodes into the Heartland. (A hat tip to K.A.F. for the links.)    o o o Spare me the Political Correctness, just give me the facts: Pearl Harbor’s New ‘Vision’.    o o o CenterfireAntenna.com (that also does business as USDipole.com) is giving a …

Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large) sent word of some science fiction becoming science fact: Where Kevlar Fails, a Liquid Succeeds    o o o K.A.F. also sent this: Military, CIA shun 9/11 panel on covert operations. [JWR’s Comment: Yes, but look who has been tapped to be the new DCI. They times, they are a-changin’, at Langley.]    o o o A useful piece, over at Daily Finance: How Much Cash Would You Need After a Terrorist Attack?    o o o While the rest of the States continue to make progress, the California legislature tries a step …

Here’s one of those “clash of cultures” articles, datelined Ogden, Utah: Police called after man butchers cow in his driveway. What does the 9-11 caller want their kids to think? That beef comes from the store in neat little plastic packages, with a foam tray underneath? Momma cows don’t give birth to packaged beef. To quote a marketing slogan: Beef: Its what’s for dinner. But somebody has to gut the critter first.    o o o On the lighter side. Jeff H. liked this one: Bear Goes Joyriding in Family’s Prius. This might have happened because the Toyota Prius has …

K.A.F. liked this piece over at Coffee With a Hermit: Woman crashes into police building with carjacking suspect on her hood    o o o File under Bureaucratic Nincompoops: Feds to assume control of Bastrop County fire; volunteer firemen turned away    o o o IDF general: Likelihood of regional war growing. (Thanks to K.A.F. for the link.)    o o o The folks at Camping Survival have announced a Paracord Giveaway. Describe your favorite paracord project, or list some of your favorite uses for paracord and how you execute them, and you can win a 1,000 foot roll of …

For those that like CraigsList, Matt M. mentioned a tool called Search Tempest that automagically searches all of the Craigslist sites at once, using definable radius of your location. I use it to quickly find unusual items that are within a four hour drive.    o o o England’s descent into national suicidal oblivion begins in its courtrooms: ‘Squatters aren’t criminals and can be GOOD for society’: Judge orders council to publish list of empty homes in its area.    o o o USAPrepares.com is sponsoring a Preparedness Expo this coming this Friday and Saturday (September 9th and 10th) in …

For those in the vicinity of Boulder, Colorado, Jonathan E. wrote to mention that he noticed some tanks, totes, and barrels advertised on Craigslist. (Similar drums and barrels are available on other Craigslist pages for other cities.)    o o o For those who might dismissively reject community building projects (like my American Redoubt concept), I recommend this piece by Brandon Smith: The Strategic Advantages Of Community Building.    o o o M.B. spotted this Makezine piece: DIY Bookbinding.    o o o There have been some great posts recently over at the Paratus Familia blog. For example, scroll down …

I’ve asked Avalanche Lily to put this at the top of my Christmas list: FLIR Scout PS24. I never thought I’d see a good quality compact thermal imaging monocular below $2,500. What a pleasant surprise. Note to our overseas readers: Sorry, but these are Federally export-restricted.    o o o For just three days, September 6th through the 8th, Safecastle will offer a 25% discount on Mountain House cans (and pouches, too)!    o o o Bob S. sent this: Minnesota landowners livid over mineral contracts.    o o o John Jacob Schmidt, the host of Radio Free Redoubt has …

Hardy sent us a link to a 12-minute video: Hurricane Irene Landfall in Morehead City, North Carolina. (It could have easily been more tightly edited, but you can fast forward through it to get the gist of it.)    o o o Some good news from the courts: First Circuit Court of Appeals Rules that Citizens Can Videotape Police    o o o Robert S. wrote to mention Project Kleinrock, “…a project to create a completely autonomous “second layer” of the Internet.”    o o o Reader Diana M. sent a couple of tips: “A simple way to have a …

Mr. Rawles, I am compelled to respond to the essay by “Stone of Scone” on OPSEC. He wrote the following with regard to obfuscating his residence’s physical location: “The only downside to not having a valid 911 address that points to your real home’s location is that when an ambulance is called, it will go to the wrong place. In this rare emergency I will just send someone to flag them down to go to the correct location.” I am a volunteer emergency medical technician in rural northwest Montana. I volunteer out of a sense of duty to my neighbors …

F.G. sent us some news from Las Cruces, New Mexico: Family arrested in gun bust; feds raid LC, Deming store. So why aren’t the BATFE agents that knowingly and intentionally facilitated similar sales of more than 2,000 guns facing similar charges? (The agents ordered gun shops to proceed with straw purchase sales to Mexican nationals.)    o o o Some good analysis by Fred Burton of Stratfor: Above the Tearline: Reconstructing the Monterrey Arson Attack from Surveillance Footage    o o o D.W. sent a link to the PDF of a U.S. Army /USMC Counterinsurgency Field Manual with a foreword …

JRH Enterprises is running a Labor Day weekend sale on new 3rd Generation Pinnacle Autogated AN/PVS-14 night vision scopes for $2,695 for the standard model and their upgraded version with higher line pair specs now at just $2,995. I bought one of the latter from JRH several years ago, and I have been thrilled with its performance. Order yours, before the sale ends!    o o o Dan. M. sent this news article from Ohio: Cops Confiscate Lakewood Lady’s Arsenal; Motive Pending. JWR’s Comments: Since the guns were deemed “legal” we can conclude that the “Thompson sub-machine gun” was in …

Dixie mentioned some fascinating interactive maps that might have bearing on your relocation plans: Mapping the 2010 U.S. Census. Be sure to click on the tabs to see the various maps.    o o o For anyone that feels priced out of the market by the often-touted Country Living grain mill, there is a now a low-cost alternative on the American market that is made in India: the Wonder Junior Deluxe Grain Mill. These have a cast body and carbide burrs. There is a drill motor attachment available. They can even make peanut butter! At $216, they are half the …

Real Wrath of God Stuff: From Waterbury to Wilmington, Vermonters shocked by Irene’s destruction. Meanwhile, we read about the wisdom of stocking up and owning a water filter: Airlifts take food, water to cut-off Vermont towns. (Thanks to T.E.M. for the links.)    o o o The second person killed by bears this summer at Yellowstone Park: Michigan man killed by grizzly in Yellowstone. Somebody ought to remind folks that it is again legal to carry a gun in a National Park, as long as you are in accordance with state law. (That is, in a state where open carry …